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 The
Connecticut Department of Transportation
(ConnDOT) is improving traffic operations
along Interstate 95 in Greater New Haven.
ConnDOT's I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing
(NHHC) Corridor Improvement Program is
a multi-modal transportation improvement
program that features public transit enhancements
and roadway improvements along 7.2 miles
(11.5 km) of I-95, between Exit 46 (Sargent
Drive) in New Haven and Exit 54 (Cedar
Street) in Branford.
With improvements scheduled to be completed in 2016, minimizing construction-related
traffic congestion is an important part
of the I-95 NHHC Corridor Improvement
Program. ConnDOT is implementing a Construction
Traffic Management Plan. Key components
of the Plan are described below. View
fact sheet on the I-95 NHHC Corridor Improvement Program,
Construction Traffic Management Plan.
- Shore Line East Station Improvements.
To make riding Shore Line East safer and more convenient for commuters,
new rail stations have been built in Branford, Clinton, and Guilford. Station improvements in Madison are underway and completion is anticipated for early 2008. Westbrook Station upgrades are under design and construction is expected to begin in late 2009.
- Incident Management System. Traffic
and incidents are monitored through an expanded Incident Management
System (IMS). The IMS is comprised of
 numerous
cameras linked to a State Police/ConnDOT operations center in
Bridgeport. From the operations center, State Police can quickly
communicate with emergency or towing vehicles to aid motorists
in need. Camera locations were extended 4 miles along I-91
to Exit 8 (Route 80) and 14 miles along I-95 from Exit 56 to the
Clinton/Westbrook town line. Three (3) Highway Advisory Radios (HAR) were installed and two (2) temporary electronic Variable Message Signing (VMS) systems have been added along the corridor.
- Adjacent Projects. Program work
will be coordinated closely with work on other key roadways, such
as Route 1 (Branford) and Route 80 (North Branford) and the frontage
roads (East Haven). Every effort will be made to ensure that construction
on these important arterials will not conflict with on-going work
along the I-95 corridor.
- Maintain Lane Configurations. During
construction, the number of lanes available on I-95 will not be
reduced. No ramp or lane closures are planned for peak hours,
which are defined as morning and evening commute times and Friday
through Sunday on summer and holiday weekends. Lane closures,
when required, will be confined to evening hours; in the event
a daytime closure is unavoidable, advance notice will be provided
to the public through various media outlets.
- Sequencing of Construction. A coordinated
Maintenance and Protection of Traffic (MPT) Plan has been developed
for the Program. To the extent possible, work zone lengths will
be minimized by coordinating construction work along the corridor.
For example, construction of Contracts D (Branford) and C1 (East
Haven) were completed prior to initiating construction
on the new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge.
- Commuter Information. On the road
"real-time" information will be provided through:
-Traffic Cameras are positioned at various locations along the
I-95 corridor and are accessible through this Program web site.
Images are updated every two to five minutes;
-An up-to-date Interactive
map of the Program area is available, on the website. The
map is regularly updated as lane closures, detours, and other
construction activities occur; and
-Enhancement of highway
advisory radio (HAR) and electronic variable message signing
(VMS). ConnDOT currently operates ten (10) low frequency HAR
stations around the state, which can be found on the AM band
of standard car radios. Originally the nearest existing HAR to this improvement
program, operating at 1670 on the AM dial, was located in West
Haven with a range of approximately 3 miles. As part of this
project, ConnDOT installed two (2) additional stations on I-95 near the Branford/Guilford town line and one (1) additional station on I-91 in North Haven. These new stations became operational in 2006.
-
Motorist Aid. Throughout the corridor,
an increased presence of CHAMP (Connecticut Highway Assistance
Motorist Patrol) and State Police is being considered. Also
important, on-site towing service will be provided as part of
each construction contract. Timely removal of disabled vehicles
will assist traffic flow through the construction zones.
-
Diversionary Routes. Area-wide
diversionary routes are established by the ConnDOT Operations
Unit. In the event of a serious incident, messages are broadcast
over the VMS and local and state personnel are in notified to
assist in the diversion of traffic.
-
Public Awareness. A media campaign
is in place to inform the traveling public of construction activities.
Information about road closures, detours, construction planning
and alternate travel options is available through the Program
toll-free hotline, the Program web site, and Program brochures,
distributed to over 150 locations throughout Greater New Haven.
Presentations to area civic organizations are broadcast on cable
access channels and are available upon request.
- On-going evaluation. The impact
of construction on traffic conditions will be monitored continually
so that mid-course corrections can be made.
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